Baby steps: a resolution for 2011

Recently I read Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. The book delves into the history of the company, and the preceding Chouinard Equipment, before examining in depth the philosophies of the company and its enigmatic founder. One of the most impressive stances of the company is its “1% for the Planet” initiative. Co-founded by Patagonia, this is a global group of companies donating at least 1% of their pre-tax revenue to environmental causes. One percent doesn’t sound like much? This is 1% of sales each year regardless of whether each company makes a profit, and with large companies, this is still a lot of money.

Another story I have come across recently is that of Toby Ord. A University researcher, Mr Ord plans to give more than £1 million over the course of his lifetime to charitable causes, to combat global poverty. That’s a lot of money for one person! Surely Mr Ord must be on a high salary, or some sort of millionaire? No. Mr Ord is on a salary of less than £40,000 a year, and has decided to give anything over £18,000 he earns directly to charity.

Inspired, I figured I’d have a look at what I’ve given to charity in the last year. Not counting cash donations (of which I have no record), I gave a paltry £77 to charity in 2010. In the same year (not counting student loans, for obvious reasons), I earned about £11100. So a mere 0.7% of my income went to charity. I’ll spare myself comparisons to Ord and others, since I don’t think giving should be a competition, but a case of giving what you can, when you can. Obviously I could have given more last year and to be honest I thought I had.

Where my donations went in 2010 (roughly)

So, on to my New Year Resolution: In 2011 I am aiming to give no less than 2% of my income (pre bills, council tax etc) to charity. Not a lot? It doesn’t seem like it to me either. This is a minimum amount though, a first step. In 2011, I should for the first time be in a salaried job all year, and consequently I can plan ahead a little. As things currently stand, it will be about £30 a month, plus gift aid where applicable. The money will be divided amongst causes of my choosing, including combatting global poverty, social causes, environmental causes and historical causes. Where possible more “cost-effective” charities will be selected – see Mr Ord’s website or the Chouinard book for background on that.

I’m not trying to guilt people into giving, nor did I set out intending to make myself feel guilty, but to make a fairly public promise, which might help me stick to it.

I’ll also be looking for an effective way to keep track of it all.. perhaps an opportunity to dabble in iPhone apps or social widgets there (unless someone already knows of a solution?).